


In The Middle Of The Street

by wolfstarlights



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Boys In Love, Coming Out, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Holding Hands, Late Night Conversations, Late at Night, M/M, Mentioned James Potter, Mentioned Peter Pettigrew, Mentioned Regulus Black, Music, Puns & Word Play, References to David Bowie, Sarcastic Remus Lupin, Sharing a Bed, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie) Spoilers, Stargazing, Summer, Tall Remus Lupin, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:46:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29108769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfstarlights/pseuds/wolfstarlights
Summary: After James and Regulus become a couple, Sirius will use every excuse to avoid being in the same building as the two of them. So, when he meets up with Remus to go to the cinema, it is definitely not a date (even though he wouldn't mind at all if it was one). The afternoon becomes the evening, secrets are spilled and neither Sirius nor Remus want it to be over. Together, they enjoy one of the most beautiful nights of the summer.And maybe Sirius will finally do something about his crush.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59
Collections: R/S Romance Fest





	In The Middle Of The Street

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thanks to Bowie (padmoonyfoot) and Fae (girlwithacrown) for beta-ing, especially on such short notice! 
> 
> Taking part in this fest was an awesome experience! There were so many amazing prompts, I could hardly decide, so I definitely recommend checking out the other works as well!
> 
> This was my prompt:  
> 
> 
> Now, enjoy reading :)

Sirius rang the doorbell and waited. After two seconds he pulled the rubber band out of his thick black hair and redid his bun. Then he jammed his hands into the front pockets of his ripped jeans to keep them from fidgeting all the time. When the door finally opened, Sirius’ heart skipped a little. With a smirk he glanced up at Remus.  
“You ready?”

Remus smiled. “Yeah, just gotta put on some shoes.”

Sirius kept standing in the doorway and tried not stare too obviously. Remus looked gorgeous as ever. His light brown hair was still slightly wet, indicating he had just left the shower a few minutes ago, and he was wearing one of those crop top hoodies. Remus had started wearing them the summer before this one, after he had realized they offered him the perfect amount of warmth and comfort when he needed it but also wouldn’t make him sweat in the summer heat like a regular hoodie. Sirius was not complaining at all.

“Alright, let’s go!”  
Remus grabbed his phone and wallet from the counter and joined Sirius outside.  
“Hi,” he added like an afterthought. 

Sirius could feel the heat rising to his neck when Remus leaned down to hug him. Fuck, Sirius was usually way better at suppressing his feelings. But then again, this situation was far from usual for them. They rarely ever met up without the other two Marauders. And they had decided to go to the cinema, which is a quite date-y thing to do together.

They started walking through the streets of the town side by side in silence at first. It was awkward. To keep himself busy, Sirius loosened the knot in the sleeves of the black leather jacket that was tied around his waist. The jacket started slipping down and with an annoyed huff Sirius tightened the knot again. When Remus eventually broke the silence, he did it the worst possible way.  
“So, you couldn’t stand being locked in with the lovebirds anymore?”

If it had been any other person asking, Sirius would have snapped. But with Remus… he didn’t even consider it. He let it slide and decided to start complaining instead.  
“Ugh, please, don’t get me started on them. If we don’t acknowledge they’re a thing now, maybe they’ll go back to just being my brother and my best friend.”

“Hm.” 

Sirius looked up at Remus with narrowed eyes.  
“What?”

Remus had a certain spark in his gaze, that was way too attractive. Sirius settled for burning holes into the sidewalk. Metaphorically, that is.

“You sound jealous.”

Now, that was going too far! Sirius crossed his arms in front of his chest and defiantly kicked a pebble away.  
“I am not jealous! That’s ridiculous!”

“Sure.”  
Sirius turned to glare at Remus but for some reason he couldn’t find anything to say. There was a tiny, infuriating smirk playing with Remus’ lips. Sirius made himself look away and exhaled through his nose noisily.  
“Cheer up, Drama Queen. You’re about to get 2 hours straight of Tom Holland in tights.”

Sirius shoved Remus off the sidewalk in revenge. Remus just started giggling.  
“As if you won’t spend the whole movie drooling over Zendaya.”

“That’s fair I guess,” Remus replied, his giggles fading. There was a weird look on Remus’ face now. Sirius didn’t dare ask what was up. You could never tell with Remus. Instead, he tried to take his mind off whatever was bothering him.

“Dibs on buying the popcorn, by the way.”

It was Remus’ turn to glare. “What? No, Sirius! I can buy my own fucking popcorn!”

“Shush, I’m being a gentleman, okay?”, Sirius declared as they rounded into the street of their destination.

Remus snorted and shook his head. “You are being nothing but ridiculous.”

Remus knew that he would never win this argument. They had had it many times in their years of friendship and Sirius was not going to start giving in now, the first time they were going out, just the two of them. Sirius liked paying for his friends’ stuff.  
That did not stop Remus from trying to pay for his own coke, though.  
Unsuccessfully, of course.

Remus kept glaring at Sirius as he pulled out their tickets, that Effi Potter had already bought online in advance for them.  
“You know that just means, your Christmas present is getting fancier again, right?”

“I’m counting on it. It’s the sole reason I’m spoiling you all year.”

The ticket guy gave them a weird look as he scanned their barcodes. Anger started boiling in Sirius’ stomach but soon dissolved into mischief. After he took back the tickets, he grabbed Remus’ hand and rose to the tips of his toes to place a soft peck on top of the cute freckles on his cheek.  
“Come on, babe, let’s go in.”

He could’ve sworn he saw Remus blush, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. His mind was overthinking this tiny detail so vigorously, he almost forgot to relish in the expression that was now edged into the ticket guy’s face. Almost. Sirius loved weirding out homophobes. 

With a smirk on his face, he pulled Remus into the dimly lit theatre. They found their seats and Remus pulled back his hand. Sirius tried not to let his thoughts linger for too long while he was settling in and placing his drink in the cup holder to his right. 

“Mission accomplished, then.” 

Sirius threw Remus a smirk.  
“Yeah. Did you see his face? Absolutely hilarious!”

“Yeah.”

Their conversation found another dead end. They had been friends for six years and still they ended up having awkward silences with just the two of them there. Grasping at straws, Sirius pulled out his phone to check it one last time before he had to turn it off.  
“Ugh, I’m so jealous of Pete. I love Italian food!”

Remus immediately jumped on. “Did he send you a pic? Show me!” He leaned closer and Sirius’ eyes were not focussed on his phone as he replayed the snap. “Oh, that looks delicious!”

“Yeah, makes me hungry from just looking at it. Hey, should we go grab some food when the movie is over?”

Remus was settling back into his seat and Sirius wasn’t sure if he felt relieved or disappointed at the loss of proximity.  
“Sure. You’re not paying for me, though.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Remus rolled his eyes.  
Shortly after that, the ads were through and the movie started playing.

It was a good movie, though Sirius had once again been reminded how shitty the Marvel LGBTQ+ representation was. Actually, non-existent might be the better word.  
And since Sirius wasn’t one to hide his thoughts, it was the first thing he said to Remus after they had left the theatre. Remus agreed.

“Yeah. Would be nice to see some queer superheroes. As much as I appreciate seeing Tom Holland and Zendaya kiss, straight characters get boring after a while.”

“So, what? You’re boring yourself out now?” Sirius had said it in an attempt to be funny and did not at all expect what came after.

“Wasn’t talking about myself, was I?”

He froze on the spot. Was Remus really saying what Sirius thought he was saying? He felt a pair of eyes burning into him and snapped his gaze up to meet them. People were walking past them, rushing out of the cinema in masses, but all Sirius could see in that moment were amber coloured irises, staring him down with an intensity that was out of this world.  
“So, you’re…?”

“Not straight. More like… bi.”

Sirius’ brain was left in chaos. What was he supposed to say? Immediately confess his love? No, that was probably a horrible idea. Tell him that it’s okay? Bullshit, Remus knew that it was okay. Ask him why he hadn’t told him sooner, considering that he himself had been out as gay for years? No, that would be rude.  
Remus seemed to grow nervous, he had to say something!  
“Thanks for telling me, Moons.”

Remus’ eyes lit up and Sirius was pulled into a crushing hug. Butterflies. Apparently, he had said the right thing. Remus smelled very nice. The hug went on for longer than expected. Once again, Sirius was not complaining. If it was for him, he would gladly stay there all day.

But eventually Remus took a step back and his left hand went straight up to mess with his curls after it left the small of Sirius’ back. “Where do you want to get food?”

Picking the conversation right up again as if Sirius wasn’t left entirely shaken by his emotions. The sun was setting and the surrounding buildings seemed to be glowing in the red light. It was a beautiful summer evening and Sirius was determined to spend as much time of it with Remus as possible. It didn’t matter to him one bit if they went to a nice restaurant or to McDonalds.  
“I don’t care. If you don’t have any special wishes, we could just walk around a little and go for whatever we’re in the mood for when we walk past it.”

They ended up eating at a Burger restaurant. Thankfully a little more high-class than McDonalds. 

During dinner they stuck to light topics of conversation. They eagerly discussed the movie and every now and then one of them brought up a memory of their many years of pranking or something along the lines of it and they would laugh a little more excitedly about their own genius than strictly necessary or appropriate. 

Remus seemed to have loosened up significantly after revealing his sexuality to Sirius. It wasn’t a surprise, really. Sirius remembered the emotional energy he’d had after coming out to his friends and being immediately accepted by all of them. It had been an incredible high and if that was what Remus was feeling right now, then Sirius was just too glad to go along with it. Remus’ smile was so bright and genuine, Sirius could barely take his eyes off him. Eventually they both finished eating and Sirius excused himself to the loo. When he came back, Remus was smirking and holding up a receipt. 

“Hey, that’s cheating!”

“Is it, now?” Remus stood up. “Well, you can pout about it while I’m off to the bathroom, Drama Queen.”

Sirius boxed Remus’ arm slightly as the taller boy walked past him and made a big show of actually pouting. Remus saw and his laugh made Sirius feel like the luckiest boy in the world. 

While Remus was gone Sirius checked his phone. There was a new message from James.

 **\-----**  
Prongs The Traitor: How’s the date going?

Sirius: The not-actually-a-date is going fine.

Prongs The Traitor: Tell yourself that all you want, it’s definitely a date.

Sirius: I’m surprised you were able to keep your hands off my baby brother for long enough to text me!

Prongs The Traitor: Don’t be like that pls

Sirius: Tell mom I might be home late

Prongs The Traitor: Does Moony know he’s staying over yet

Sirius: nope

Prongs The Traitor: ….  
Prongs The Traitor: no comment. Tell him I say hi.

Sirius: tell my brother he’s a dickhead

Prongs The Traitor: asshole  
**\-----**

Sirius glared at his phone one last time before putting it away and looking up at Remus.

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

Outside, they started walking without paying much attention to the direction they were taking. The town was small enough for them to find a relatively quick way home, no matter where they went. The sun had set during their dinner and the sky was only slightly lit in a calming blue tone at this point. It was still very warm, though. Sirius wouldn’t need to put on his leather jacket for another few hours. He took a deep breath and smiled.

“I love summer.”

“Oh, yeah? That’s new to me.”

Sirius’ face lit up.  
“Oh, Moony. You have no idea what you’re doing to me when you get all sarcastic like that.”

“Prick.” Sirius didn’t have to look to know that Remus was rolling his eyes.

“And to hear you swearing… I’m practically swooning!”

Remus snorted. “I’m sure you are.”

“Oh, but I am. And don’t even get me started on when you talk about books! Speaking of: did you finish that weird-ass novel you were reading last week?”

Oblivious as ever, Remus did exactly what Sirius had hoped for. He started talking about the book, that he had indeed finished, and his eyes were glowing with passion, bright like stars. Sirius had fallen hard for Remus and he had now officially given up on trying to hide it.

All through the movie he had been extremely aware of Remus’ presence, of where his hand was on the arm rest, of how little he would need to move to take it in his own. Now that he knew that Remus was bisexual, he was running out of reasons not to shoot his shot. Sure, there was the classic “what if he doesn’t feel the same and I ruin our friendship” but it wasn’t anything that Sirius wasted too many thoughts on. Remus wasn’t one to let a friendship fall apart because of something like that. Actually, he was still close friends with more than one ex-girlfriend. He was simply too sweet to let things get weird. 

Sirius pulled himself from his thoughts, back into reality, and glanced at Remus. They had been walking in silence for a while now, but it wasn’t weird as it had been before the movie. It was comfortable. For a minute he thought about just casually letting his hand slip into Remus’, but he ended up taking the less straight-forward, more elaborate way. James would call him a coward, Sirius liked to think he was being smooth.  
“Hey, can you put on some music?”

Remus gave him the eyebrow at first but soon shrugged and pulled out his phone and earpods. The screen’s blue light reflected on Remus’ face and it made Sirius realize that it was almost fully dark now. It must be quite late. And Remus seemed to have come to the same conclusion after seeing the time on his lockscreen.  
“Shit, it’s already half past ten. I need to get home.”

Sirius immediately went for the puppy eyes.  
“Can’t you sleep at mine? You already have a toothbrush there and everything. We both know your parents will say yes and so will Effi and Fleamont.”

“I don’t know, isn’t it a little late to ask them?”

Sirius smirked. Remus seemed to be confused for a moment but then it dawned on him and he glared at Sirius with his beautiful brown eyes.  
“You can’t keep making plans for me without asking me first you self-absorbed bastard.”

“I’m sorry?”, Sirius tried to save himself.

“No, you’re fucking not. Not even a little bit.”

“Okay, guilty.” Doubts were crawling into his mind. Had he gone too far? Shit, he would never forgive himself. He had to be sure.  
“You’re not really mad, though, are you?”

Remus voice softened, as it always did whenever he sensed Sirius’ vulnerability.  
“No, it’s fine. I’ll tell my parents I’m staying at yours.”

“Awesome!”  
Sirius gave Remus a smile and raised his hand to mess with his hair, but it was still fixed in a neat bun. Deciding it was now cool enough for him to wear it open, he pulled out the tie and carded his fingers through the thick strands. Then he fiddled here and there to make sure it looked the good kind of messy and not like a bird’s nest. 

When Remus was about to pocket his phone again, Sirius reached out and grasped his wrist. The giddy rush that followed distracted him from what he’d been about to say. It only came back to him when Remus cocked an eyebrow. Fuck, he always looked so attractive when he did that!

“Music.”

“Oh, right. Here.” Remus handed him one of the earpods before plugging them into his phone. Without question Remus chose the David Bowie playlist and hit play.

A grin split open Sirius’ face when _Rebel Rebel_ was the first song to come on. It was his hymn. The perfect composition. A treasure of poetry. He _had_ to sing along! It was a reflex! 

A few lines in, Remus was glaring at him with slightly pink cheeks, but he didn’t say anything. When they reached the chorus, Sirius got really into it and started bopping his head. The earpod got loose and fell, dangling against Remus’ hip. 

Sirius grinned up at Remus apologetically. A sigh was the only reply he got before the earpod was handed back to him.

“Thanks.”

The next time the earpod dropped, Remus seemed exasperated.  
“Quit moving already!”

“Not my fault, my ears are just too small!” They were still in a part of the town where people would busy the streets all day, but the shops were all closed at this time and they had left the bars and restaurants behind them already. No one was there to give them stares for their antics.

Remus was there though. And there was the eyebrow again.

“Hey, it’s the truth!”

The third time, Remus’ resolve broke. And he did exactly what Sirius had hoped for. He grabbed his hand.  
“Stop fucking moving, for christ’s sake!”

Sirius heart skipped about three beats and he had to fight against the natural urge to pump his fist. His plan had worked out perfectly. Now, it was his turn to be bold again.

With a smirk on his face, he pulled his hand slightly out of Remus’ tight grip, just to gently intertwine their fingers instead. For a long time neither of them said anything. Sirius was feeling high. Remus hadn’t pulled back or commented on it. That had to be a good sign. It was a good sign. 

The sun was far gone now and the two of them were walking beneath the starry night sky, hands joined and some of Sirius’ favourite songs filling up their ears. He found _Starman_ and _The Prettiest Star_ especially fitting for this moment. It was better than anything from movies or books or songs. It was like a dream, but it felt so real at the same time. The touch of Remus’ slightly cold hand, a soft breeze of summer air playing with his long hair, the soreness that was slowly creeping into his feet, his leather jacket slipping further and further down his waist because he refused to let go of Remus’ hand in order to retie it…

They had reached the outskirts of the town by now. When they turned into the next street, Sirius realized they were rather close to the Potter house. Everything in him screamed for him to stop, to take a longer route, to just keep walking wherever. 

To not let this night be over. 

To stay in this moment forever. 

David Bowie kept singing of space and Sirius’ gaze was pulled upwards. A streetlight blinded him and that would just not do. It was a beautiful night – perhaps the most beautiful night of the year – and Sirius would not waste it. He wanted to stargaze with the boy that he so loved, the boy that was The One for him, and he refused to give up on that because of a row of stupid lamps along the sidewalk.

“Come on,” he said to Remus the same moment he had already started pulling him onto the street. It was clear and at this time of the night, in this part of the town, it was not very likely for them to be interrupted by any cars or other vehicles. The earpod fell from his ear again at the quick, uncontrolled motion but this time, Sirius couldn’t care less. 

When he moved to lie down in the middle of the street, Remus’ hand slipped from his. It seemed reluctant, but somehow inevitable. Sirius felt like pouting but neither of them made a comment or even acknowledged it. Sirius rested the back of his head on the ground and took in the view. Yes, the stars were beautiful tonight. 

After moments of dead silence between them, the only sounds coming from chirping crickets, Sirius threw a glance at Remus. He was still standing. Watching him. Sirius couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His face was in the shadows and he seemed to have retreated into himself. The headphones were gone, probably back in his pocket.

“Come on, Moony. Lie down with me! The stars are beautiful tonight.”

Remus murmured something along the lines of “Aren’t they always?” before reluctantly settling on the cold asphalt. Sirius felt a twinge of disappointment that Remus had chosen to lie down the other way around, at a certain distance, instead of next to him. His hand was out of reach and he couldn’t even see his face properly. With a sigh Sirius resumed his stargazing.

Sirius let the night sky take him away, hold grasp of his light heart and rise with it into the dark endlessness. Then his eyes found the moon. It was only about halfway full, but it’s light was still blindingly bright. The chords of _Moonage Daydream_ were still replaying in his head. A thought snuck into his mind – a play of words - and before he could tell himself that this was the worst idea ever, he had said it out loud.  
“I’m over the moon for you, Moony.”

“What?”, Remus returned in a tight and high-pitched voice.

A grin took over Sirius’ face. This was it. Cards laid open. Right here, right now.  
“I am crazy about you. I have a big fat crush on you. I’m actually pretty sure I’m falling in love with you.”

Remus didn’t say anything for a while. Long enough for Sirius to doubt himself. His heart was beating heavily and the blood was rushing in his ears. Fuck. What if he’d screwed it all up?

“I- you’re not kidding, are you? I swear if this is a prank- “

“Remus!”, Sirius had raised his head from the rough asphalt and searched for Remus’ eyes, “Remus look at me.”

After a few moments Remus finally moved and locked eyes with him. Damn, it had been so easy to say while looking at the sky. To repeat it to his face, to those lovely eyes – it seemed impossible. But it was too late to back out now. And Sirius was not a coward. His throat was tight. Still, he somehow managed to get it out.  
“I meant every single word.”

Remus froze. Then he averted his gaze and carded his fingers through those fluffy curls of his. “Shit.”  
Sirius desperately wanted to see Remus’ face in that moment, but he did a fairly good job at hiding it. Sirius hated not knowing what Remus was thinking. Although, in this particular case, he needn’t have worried. Because Remus was saying exactly what was going on in that pretty head of his.  
“Fuck, this can’t be real. This is too good to be true.”

A wide smile spread across Sirius’ face again.  
“So, you feel the same?”

Remus gave a small nervous laugh. Then he looked back at Sirius and it was perfect.  
“Fuck, yeah I do! Of course, I bloody fancy you, you idiot!”

“Great.” Wow, that was probably one of the worst things Sirius could have replied with. 

Luckily, Remus seemed to get his sentiment, since the next thing he said was, “yeah.”

Sirius started laughing and looked back up into the sky. Pure joy had taken over his body. Remus joined in and for a while the two of them were stuck in a different dimension, one in which time didn’t exist and they could giggle beneath the sea of stars forever, hearts soaring and worries wiped from their minds.

Eventually their laughter faded, even if the joy lingered, and Sirius realized that sooner or later they had to go home. It was starting to get chilly, especially with the cold asphalt against his back. With a jolt he remembered how easily Remus started freezing. 

Immediately, he jumped to his feet and offered Remus a hand to help him up.  
“We should go now. We need to be home before 1 AM.”

“Wow, someone is being responsible!”

Sirius smirked while heaving Remus to his feet.  
“I love it when you get all sarcastic like that.”

Remus gave him a soft smile. They were standing very close to each other now, Remus’ hand still grasping his. Sirius gaze was pulled to Remus’ lips. Then he glanced back up to find those lovely brown eyes. Usually, they were like honey with slivers of green in them, but with the soft light of the streetlamps in his back, Remus’ eyes were dark, the colour barely visible. Sirius’ heart was beating faster and the urge to lean in was getting unbearably strong. 

He knew he had to be careful with Remus, though. So, he asked.

“Can I kiss you?”, he whispered. It was barely loud enough to be heard.

Remus nodded.

Sirius rose to the tips of his toes, gently grasping the taller boy’s shoulder with his free hand to steady himself. Then, Remus leaned in slightly and their lips met.

And here they were. Kissing in the middle of the street.  
It was soft and didn’t hold for long. Soon it had morphed into a hug, Sirius’ face buried in the crook of Remus’ neck and his arms snaked around his waist for two purposes. Firstly, because it was a very good position to keep Remus’ pulled flush against him. The other reason was, to warm up the sliver of skin that the cropped hoodie didn’t cover and that had therefore been directly exposed to the cold ground they had been lying on. One of Remus’ hands was playing with Sirius’ hair and Sirius was melting away. 

Eventually, Remus spoke up.  
“We should really get going now, or the Potters will start to worry.”

Sirius let out a muffled groan, clearly stating he’d prefer not to move, before pressing a soft kiss to Remus’ neck and stepping out of the comfortable embrace. Where Remus chest and arm had rested before, chilly air was streaming in now and Sirius decided it was time to put on his jacket. The familiar weight of the leather was nothing against Remus’ touch, but it had to do for now.

With a smile he held his hand out to Remus. The mirroring grin he received in return made his head spin, only grounded again by Remus’ long, boney fingers locking into his.

For the rest of their way they kept walking in the middle of the street. For some reason, returning to the sidewalk would feel like returning to reality. 

So did arriving at the house. 

When they were at the doorstep Sirius refused to go further. He squeezed Remus’ hand to make him stop walking but it wouldn’t have been necessary. Remus looked at him and Sirius was immediately comforted by the affection the gaze held.

“I’m here. I’ll stay.”

Sirius nodded and bit his lip from the inside. It was Remus’ turn to squeeze his hand. They simply stared at each other for a while, openly. It was as if Sirius was baring his entire soul.  
Then Sirius decided, they couldn’t avoid this for any longer. 

He unlocked the door and the two of them went inside. Letting go of Remus’ hand felt wrong. Like his body had adjusted to Remus’ touch and losing that bit of physical contact was a bridge between them collapsing. He had to remind himself that it was necessary and that he would most likely be able to hold Remus’ hand a lot more often from now on.  
They made sure not to make any noise while taking off their shoes and closing the door behind them. All the lights were off, which meant the other inhabitants of the house were already asleep. 

“You can go upstairs and get ready for bed already, I’ll be right there,” he whispered to his- 

Was Remus his boyfriend? They hadn’t clarified that, yet.  
Well, that was a problem for tomorrow.

Remus ascended the stairs on the tips of his toes and Sirius watched until he was out of sight. Just because he liked looking at him. Then he turned and walked down the corridor towards the master bedroom. As always, the door was not quite shut and an alarm clock was placed on the bookshelf on the right wall of the corridor. He picked it up and switched it off.

It was a system Sirius and James had come up with after the Black siblings had moved in. They had always begged Effi and Fleamont to let them stay out late but the adults had always argued that they would worry too much and needed their sleep at “this old age”. The next time they asked, they had a deal to offer: Whenever they wanted to stay out late, they would set up an alarm clock for 1 AM. If their boys weren’t home in time, it would make sure they woke up so they could tell their kids off when they were 5 minutes late or – in the worst case – call the police to look for their missing sons. They had agreed reluctantly, but Sirius had seen a proud glint in Fleamont’s eyes, he was sure of it.

Sirius put the alarm clock back where it belonged with a satisfied smirk on his lips. Then he followed Remus upstairs. By the sounds of it he was currently in the bathroom. Sirius used the time to strip down to his boxers and slip into the large T-Shirt he liked to sleep in. Then he went to the bathroom just as Remus was coming out.

“Hey, should I go get the mattress from the guestroom while you brush your teeth?”

Sirius heart sank a little. He had hoped… assumed… 

Remus tilted his head slightly. He was waiting for a reply.

“If- If you want to, sure. I just-“

Realization took over Remus’ expression. He smiled and nodded.  
“Right, better not risk waking everyone else up. Looks like we have to share.”

Sirius smiled back. “Exactly. It’s the only option we’ve got.”

Remus rolled his eyes and laughed under his breath. “Go ahead and brush your teeth, idiot.”

Usually, Sirius would take his time in the bathroom. He would carefully brush his hair out and braid it so it wouldn’t be unbrushable the next morning, he would wash his face and apply a few skin care products, then he would brush his teeth for longer than strictly necessary and inbetween all that he liked to make weird faces at his mirror-self. It was his very personal ritual to process the events of each day and to feel good before he went to bed. But tonight, he was already feeling good. And someone was waiting for him. In a matter of five minutes, he was ready and switched off the light in the bathroom.

When he walked into his bedroom, he found Remus lying on the covers, propped up against the headboard and looking at his phone. Excitement was buzzing in his chest as Sirius closed the door and joined Remus, lying down on the other side of the bed and pulling the covers up to his shoulders. 

Remus gave him a shy smile before switching his phone off and placing it on the ground next to him. A little awkwardly he folded his long limbs to slide beneath the covers as well. It was adorable. 

Remus gave him the eyebrow again. “What?”

Sirius grinned. “You’re cute.”

Remus buried his face in the pillow which made Sirius’ grin widen. There was only little light coming in through the window. Regrettably too little to see the red that was currently tinting Remus’ cheeks.

Sirius took in the picture, Remus lying in bed next to him, close enough for Sirius to be able to touch him and pull him even closer if he wanted to. His heart grew several sizes at the thought that this might be the first night of many that they would spend like this.

Remus raised his head and shuffled into a different position. The were both laying on their sides now, eyes locked and smiles edged into their faces. 

As Sirius was starting to let himself drift off, there was another movement below the covers and a gentle touch followed. Sirius fell asleep that night unbelievably happy, holding the hand of the boy he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> I have to say I am proud of this work. It's one of my longest oneshots and probably among my best as well.  
> If you enoyed this, it would absolutely make my day if you left kudos and a comment!
> 
> Thanks for reading, I love you all <3
> 
> (PS: As a person with small ears, Sirius was definitely not lying! Earpods fall from my ears all the time and it's insanely annoying!)


End file.
